Potential Growth Coach Guide
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Potential Growth Coach Guide
Guidance notes and checklist for potential Growth Coaches
Welcome! We are delighted that you are interested in becoming a Growth Coach for
GrowthAccelerator. These guidance notes will explain a little about GrowthAccelerator,
the qualities we look for in potential Growth Coaches, the recruitment and selection
process for Growth Coaches, and what to do next.
What is GrowthAccelerator?
GrowthAccelerator is a unique service aimed at SMEs in England with the ambition and
capability to grow. It is designed to, help them achieve strong, measurable growth in
revenue and create jobs, providing an economic boost. This is delivered through high
growth business coaching. The service was formally launched by Vince Cable 23 May 2012.
GrowthAccelerator is a partnership between government and private enterprise comprising
of a consortium of key partners; Grant Thornton, Pera, Winning Pitch and Oxford
Innovation. Together, these four consortium partners provide a service which covers the
whole of England.
Why is GrowthAccelerator different?
GrowthAccelerator is different from past business support programmes in that it specifically
targets high growth businesses capable of 20%+ annual growth, is open only to eligible and
suitable businesses, and is strongly results orientated to Gross Value Add and employment
uplift thereby generating significant, measurable economic impact for the UK. To deliver
this, GrowthAccelerator has built a community of associate Growth Coaches to provide high
impact coaching.
Further information about GrowthAccelerator can be found at
www.growthaccelerator.com
What is offered to high growth businesses?
The core of the service is delivering high quality business coaching to participating
companies. Our Growth Coaches play a major role in helping our client businesses achieve
their growth potential.
Potential Growth Coach Guide and Checklist / version 8 | 5 February 2014 | 1The value proposition for GrowthAccelerator covers the following areas:
Business Development Coaching: primarily customised business coaching which
addresses general business areas such as strategy, change management, sales,
marketing, organisation, systems. This is typically delivered over a period of several
months to enable the company to apply the learning and embed new and/or enhanced
management practices.
Access to Finance: bespoke support from finance specialists to identify appropriate
sources and structures for funding requirements, build the investment proposition and
financing plan, and secure investor introductions
Growth Through Innovation: bespoke support from innovation specialists to
develop and commercialise innovation and to create and build a culture of innovation.
The aim is to deliver growth by unblocking or accelerating an innovation challenge to
help the business achieve tangible results and create new jobs
Leadership and Management Training: providing 50% matched funding up to
£2k per manager in the client business, linked to development priorities
Access to Workshops & Masterclasses: providing a range of learning
programmes to client businesses
GrowthCommunity: connectivity of high growth businesses taking advantage of
GrowthAccelerator.
What is meant by “coaching” on GrowthAccelerator?
Coaching for GrowthAccelerator is focused on business performance, not on personal
development. There are many definitions of coaching. In GrowthAccelerator, we are not
precious about the definition and recognise that Growth Coaching will run across a
spectrum of coaching, mentoring, signposting and facilitation: GrowthAccelerator has
chosen to apply the term “business coaching” to this. Having said this, GrowthAccelerator is
clear that it is not in the interest of the client or the Growth Coach for the Growth Coach to
provide direction to the client by acting as a traditional management consultant.
What we look for in our Growth Coaches
We recognise that Growth Coaches are an important facet of the GrowthAccelerator brand
as well as delivering high impact coaching for strong GVA results. So, we look for high
quality individuals who have robust experience of business and the commercial world, and
of delivering business coaching. Therefore, two key criteria against which we judge all
potential Growth Coaches are:
Personal business record: we are looking for experienced and credible business
people who have strong commercial acumen and firsthand knowledge of
growing a business either as a business owner or in a senior position
Personal track record in coaching business leaders: we use coaches who can
demonstrate an existing successful track record as a business coach focussing
on business performance.
Further, we look for individuals who can demonstrate their credibility, experience and
expertise, and who can build strong and robust relationships with business leaders
Potential Growth Coach Guide and Checklist / version 8 | 5 February 2014 | 2Recruitment and selection process for Growth Coaches
Our Growth Coaches go through a careful recruitment and selection process so that the
businesses we work with can have complete confidence that our Growth Coaches really
know their stuff. We want our businesses to feel safe in the knowledge that they are part of a
truly experienced community of growth-focussed business experts.
All our registered and approved Growth Coaches have successfully completed the following
four stage recruitment and selection process. Each stage of this process represents a quality
gate to ensure that we recruit only the highest quality Growth Coaches.
CV Submission – Potential Growth Coaches should register their CV, areas of
expertise and sector experience .These are then reviewed and vetted by the
GrowthAccelerator team.
Three References - You will be requested to provide three references or
testimonials from Managing Directors of businesses that you have coached. These
should be on headed notepaper and signed by the Managing Director or provided via
an email trail which clearly demonstrates it originated from the Managing director.
Further, they must mention you by name, and give specific details of the positive
impact and outcomes that your coaching support has provided to the Managing
Director and the business.
1:1 Interview – Potential Growth Coaches will have a face-to-face meeting with a
local Growth Manager or other GrowthAccelerator personnel. This interview will look
more in-depth at your CV, references/testimonials and personal experience of
business growth. It will also explore how well your skills and experience are fitted to
tackling the issues typically facing high growth companies.
Due diligence – Potential Growth Coaches must be approved by a background
check. We will require you to provide specific information to us which we can then
check against credit reference agency databases, including information from the
Electoral Register and fraud prevention agencies.
Coach Briefing & Assessment – Potential Growth Coaches will attend a Coach
Briefing Day which provides further detail about GrowthAccelerator, takes you
through observed and assessed exercises, and explains some of the typical tools used
with GrowthAccelerator clients.
Only a coach who has been successful in this recruitment and selection process will be
accepted as a registered and approved Growth Coach, and be matched with clients on
GrowthAccelerator. Your details will be kept on GrowthAccelerator system which will allow
us to match you with clients, and will allow you to update your details as necessary via the
Coach portal.
In addition, we will require to see evidence of a minimum £500,000
Professional Indemnity Insurance and in some instances, a minimum £500,000
Public Liability Insurance. We'll also require details on limited company registration with
Companies House or confirmation of sole trader status.
Please Note: This is not an accreditation or an employment process. Completing this
process only means you are registered with the service and pre-approved to work with
potential clients should your profile match a client. You are not guaranteed coaching
assignments.
Potential Growth Coach Guide and Checklist / version 8 | 5 February 2014 | 3How are Growth Coaches engaged with clients?
Once a Growth Coach has been registered and approved with GrowthAccelerator, they can
be allocated clients and coaching assignments.
Growth Coaches selected to work with clients are contracted by consortium members (Grant
Thornton, Pera, Oxford Innovation or Winning Pitch) and sign up to delivering the
outcomes detailed within the Scope of Support. Coach payments are linked to the delivery of
outcomes within the Scope of Support as opposed to the number of days coaching provided.
Payment is made to growth Coaches on completion and sign-off of the work. We do not pay
expenses. Payment is made within 30 days of the coach submitting their invoice and
completed paperwork.
A Scope of Support sets out the objectives and measurable outcomes of the work to be
undertaken. It is signed off by the client and used to help the Growth Manager select and
appoint the most suitable Growth Coach.
Growth Coaches can provide Business Development Coaching, Access to Finance Coaching
or Growth Through Innovation Coaching depending on their individual areas of expertise
and experience. This will be recorded in our system following review by a Growth Manager
of your skills and expertise to support a search for coaches in those areas.
Although the primary contact for the Growth Coach will be the Managing Director or Chief
Executive of the client business, our Growth Coaches might work with more than one
person in the organisation during their engagement with the company, driving the
performance of the organisation by typically working with the senior management.
Becoming a registered and approved Growth Coach is in itself no guarantee of work. The
client’s needs will always drive a match with a Growth Coach, typically in relation to
location, sector experience and functional specialisms. If you refer a client into
GrowthAccelerator, please be aware that you may not be assigned that client to work with; a
Growth Manager will assess the need based on the Scope of Support, however client
preference is always considered.
Registered and approved Growth Coaches are free to work across all regions. Should you
decide to do this, we will require you to complete a coach contract with the local consortium
partner, as well as providing copies of Professional Indemnity and Public Liability
insurances.
Why do Growth Coaches choose to work with
GrowthAccelerator?
Our Growth Coaches choose to work with GrowthAccelerator for a variety of reasons. These
often include the opportunity to building longer-term relationships with the service and the
consortium partners, the opportunity to network with other coaches to build support and
business networks, as well as the opportunity to build commercial on-going relationships
with the high growth SMEs they may work with through GrowthAccelerator. In some cases,
Growth Coaches are able to provide Leadership and Management Training to
GrowthAccelerator clients (see below for more information). Registered and approved
Growth Coaches are also free to work across England (see above for more information).
Potential Growth Coach Guide and Checklist / version 8 | 5 February 2014 | 4Coaching and Leadership & Management training
Leadership & Management training is designed to support the individual training needs of
senior managers in the client business, so that they can successfully implement the growth
plans that arise from the business coaching.
In a small minority of cases, Growth Coaches can also deliver Leadership & Management
training where they can demonstrate that they offer the best training solution for the client.
This will depend on the Growth Coach’s areas of expertise and experience. The delivery of
any Leadership & Management training is outside the terms of any coaching contract and
subject to prior approval from GrowthAccelerator; it is also the subject of a separate
commercial arrangement between the training provider and the client.
Where the Growth Coach and Leadership & Management training provider are the same
person or company, the Growth Coach is required to complete the 'Coach as Trainer
Proposal' form and indicate how it is a separate offer from what will be delivered in the
coaching.
What should I do next?
Having read these Guidance Notes, if you decide you wish continue your application and be
considered as a Growth Coach on GrowthAccelerator review the Growth Coach Checklist.
To progress your interest contact your local Growth Coach Lead below:
Business Development Coaching
London and Hertfordshire – GAcoaching@uk.gt.com
Midlands and East of England – coach.queries@peraconsulting.com
North West England – Sandra Wood, s.wood@winning-pitch.co.uk
North East England – Samantha Hayton, s.hayton@winning-pitch.co.uk
Yorkshire and Humberside – Kathryn Wilson, k.wilson@winning-pitch.co.uk
South West and South East England – coaching@oxin.co.uk
Access to Finance
South West and South East England – coaching@oxin.co.uk
All other areas of England – GAcoaching@uk.gt.com
Growth through Innovation
South West and South East England – coaching@oxin.co.uk
All other areas of England – coach.queries@peraconsulting.com
If you are unsure who to contact or have general questions regarding Growth
Coaching across the consortium partners, contact Heather Reagan, Growth
Coach & Mentoring Executive at heather.reagan@growthaccelerator.com
Please be aware that from time to time the consortium partners will put recruitment on
hold because they have a sufficiency of Growth Coaches covering the geography, or
because they have a sufficiency of sector experience or functional expertise for the client
businesses they are currently supporting. You will be advised if this is the case.
Thank you for your interest.
Potential Growth Coach Guide and Checklist / version 8 | 5 February 2014 | 5Potential Growth Coach Checklist
Submit CV
Your CV should demonstrate BOTH: EMAIL TO:
Your firsthand experience of growing a business Local Growth
Your experience of coaching for business performance Coach Lead
Complete Coach Profile Online
Details in this portal allow us to assess suitability, search for you as a
Access given after
coach and match you with a potential client. This system is used solely
CV Submission
by Growth Managers and admin teams and is not public information.
Due Diligence
Send an email with your: EMAIL TO:
Full Legal Name Local Growth
Date of Birth Coach Lead
Home address (not a business address)
"I give permission for a due diligence check to be completed"
Submit 3 References
References must: EMAIL TO:
be written by Managing Director level or similar Local Growth
mention you by name (not your business or firm name) Coach Lead
give specific details of outcomes your coaching has provided
Acceptable Formats include:
Headed paper and signed by the Managing Director (sent by
post or scanned)
Email trail (forwarded or direct to coach lead from referee)
which clearly originate from the Managing Director
Evidence of Insurance
Send certificate or evidence of: EMAIL TO:
a minimum £500,000 Professional Indemnity Insurance Local Growth
(if requested) a minimum £500,000 Public Liability Insurance Coach Lead
1:1 Interview
An in person interview conducted by a Growth Manager you are Scheduled after CV &
already in contact with or one we will introduce you to. Reference Review
Coach Briefing & Assessment Day (final stage)
You will be sent an invitation to select a Coach Briefing date (typically Full Day Session
one per month) once the first four items have been completed. (RSVP Required)
Potential Growth Coach Guide and Checklist / version 8 | 5 February 2014 | 6You can also read
